International Taco's - Take 2

My cousin's stopped by the other day, so I decided to do some cooking for them. I had this grand scheme of international taco's (Latino, Chinese, and Korean meats wrapped in corn tortillas) and as usual it was way over board. It was a fun day of cooking though (about 4-5 hours worth) and the food came out pretty tasty. The mixing and matching of meats with the different condiments yielded some very tasty results. A much better showing than my first effort :)

Our Menu
Prosecco with Watermelon Juice
A fun way to start the evening.

Mexican Corn Chips, Mexican Potato Chips, Tortilla Chips
Our favorite brand Takis is an addicting corn snack spiced with chili and lime - a nice amuse bouche :)

Guacamole

Ingredients: Avocados, Garlic, Cumin, Lime Juice, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, White Onion (rinsed), Salt/Pepper

Making this in a mortar and pestle (or molcajete) makes it so much better. Bashing the garlic in the m/p almost creams out the garlic like a spanish allioli. Never ever do this in a blender...

2006 Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
I'm not a wine connoisseur, but this was friggin delicious. It had this round almost buttery thing going on with big fruits behind it. Really worked out well with the meats we served. Thanks Che King / Wing Gee!

Asian Waldorf Salad

Ingredients: Asian Pear, Litchi, Cashews, Arugula, Yogurt, Mayo, Litchi Juice, and Rice Wine Vinegar

I've made this before and it's simple and fun. Replacing the American waldorf ingredients with Asian ingredients. A fun combo of tastes and textures.


Black Beans

Ingredients: Refried Black Beans, Black Beans, White Onion, Garlic, Water, Duck Fat

I like the combo of refried black beans (for a rich creamy texture) and whole black beans for more texture. The white onion gives some sweetness and texture and duck fat just makes sense.

Mexican Red Rice

Ingredients: Rice, Tomatoes, Onions, Chipotle, Olive Oil, Salt/Pepper

A very flavorful rice that has a little smokey kick to it. Olive oil is obviously not traditional but it rounds out the flavor.

Latino Style Lamb

Ingredients: Lamb Shoulder, Garlic, Sweet Onions, Orange Juice, Achiote Seasoning, Chipotle Peppers and adobo sauce, Cumin, Lime Juice, Cilantro, Salt/Pepper

Braised lamb for 3 hours makes this sucker uber tender. The seasonings are a little Cuban with the Orange Juice and a little Mexican with the Achiote. Whatever this abomination is, it was pretty damned delicious especially with the Guac and Tomatillo salsa.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients: Tomatillo, Serrano Peppers, Garlic, Habanero Hot Sauce, Lime Juice, Salt/Pepper

A really bright and delicious salsa. Perfect tartness with a hint of spice, to breakdown the insanely rich meats.

Duck
Ingredients: Duck Breast, Chinese Five Spice, Salt/Pepper
First time cooking duck and the flavor was delicious - great duck flavor enhanced by the five spice. Simply seared and finished in the oven, but I left it in a bit too long so it came out slightly dry. A problem I guess when I had too many dishes going at once - next time no grilling and kitchen work at the same time :) However, adding the fun beijing duck ingredients (hoisin sauce, cucumber, and cilantro) minimized the dryness. Oddly, it was super delicious with the black beans and tomatillo salsa.

Bulgogi
Ingredients: Thinly sliced short rib, Martinelli's Sparkling Cider, Brown Sugar, Sesame Oil, Garlic, Green Onions, Salt/Pepper
I tried cooking this on the grill since that's what they do at the Korean BBQ restaurant, but I completely forgot that the grills at the restaurants have very tiny holes. I adjusted though and broke out my grill plate and everything was all ok. This taco worked very well with a side of kimchee to add brightness and acidity. BTW - the sparkling cider made sense to me since we bought a bunch to serve and I remembered Korean BBQ uses pear juice - close enough :)

Cake (from Michele's Bake Shop
This was friggin delicious - light, airy, fluffy. Light chocolate sponge cake, banana flavored cream, fresh fruits, coconut threads and jelly beans on top. Thanks Susan/Ray for bringing it!

Glenfarclas 12 Yr Highland Single Malt Scotch
Full flavored with a hint of peat smoke and a little sherry type sweetness. Fun way to finish the evening.


The Entire Spread